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Raese: Smoking regs like Hitler's Jewish star

By CHARLES MAHTESIAN

04/18/2012 04:45 PM EDT

Lots of Senate candidates rail against onerous government regulations. But West Virginia Republican John Raese , who's looking to knock off Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, took it to another level recently at the Putnam County Lincoln Day dinner.

Referring to Monongalia County regulations on smoking, Raese equated them to one of Adolf Hitler's most notorious policies.

I don’t want government telling me what I can do and what I can’t do because I’m an American. But in Monongalia County you can’t smoke a cigarette, you can’t smoke a cigar, you can’t do anything. And I oppose that because I believe in everybody’s individual freedoms and everybody’s individual rights to do what they want to do and I’m a conservative and that’s the way that goes.

But in Monongalia County now, I have to put a huge sticker on my buildings to say this is a smoke free environment. This is brought to you by the government of Monongalia County. Ok?

Remember Hitler used to put Star of David on everybody’s lapel, remember that? Same thing.”